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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24167224">I Already Feel Found</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Robyn2411/pseuds/Robyn2411'>Robyn2411</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Sanders Sides (Web Series)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Adoption, Blood, Child Abuse, Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders &amp; Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders Are Twins, Graphic Description, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Kid Anxiety | Virgil Sanders, Kid Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders, Kid Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders, Kid Morality | Patton Sanders, M/M, Mild Language, let me know if I need to add any more</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 21:34:45</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>7,900</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24167224</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Robyn2411/pseuds/Robyn2411</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Logan Berry and Janus Sanders got married three years ago and now they have the perfect life. They have two children, steady jobs and a nice house. But how much of that will change when they meet two hyperactive red headed bombshells in the park one day?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Logic | Logan Sanders/Deceit Sanders</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>89</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Sorry for any spelling mistakes! Please shout at me down in the comments if you spot anything and I’ll edit it!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Logan! It’s so good to see you!” Remy ran up to Logan bouncing a young boy on his hip, it seemed he was out for a run in the park.<br/>

“What do you need Remy?” Logan turned around to greet his friend. They had known each other since they met at an adoption agency last year along with Remy’s partner, Emile. Remy was new to it all and had been asking Logan, the more experienced dad, question after question to make sure he didn’t mess up his child.<br/>

“Can I not just talk to my best-dad friend?” Remy said, feeling very much called out.<br/>

“Not since you acquired your two year old.” The tiny child was Toby, Remy had adopted him a few weeks after he first met Logan and hadn’t gotten a seconds sleep since.<br/>

“Ah, you got me there. Do you know any good babysitters? I have an interview and Emile has work tomorrow and I don’t want to leave Toby alone all day.” For what little credit Logan gave Remy, he was actually a really good dad. He didn’t hesitate to call in the middle of the night if he feared even for a second that there was something off about Toby and having Logan, a family doctor, just a phone call away made it too easy. Logan didn’t really mind, he was usually up tending to Patton, his five-year-old, or Virgil, his ten-year-old anyway.<br/>

“I have a few, although I would be fine with taking care of Toby for a few hours if it’s easier. Patton really likes it when he comes over.”<br/>

“Are you sure? I don’t want to bother you!”<br/>

“Don’t worry about it, I don’t have work tomorrow and Janus is working from home. We’d be more than happy to look after him.”<br/>

“Thank you so much! I owe you one. Well, more like I owe you twenty.” Remy checked his watch, then moved his hand back to its rightful place behind his son’s head, “I have to go, I’ll be ‘round your place at nine? Kay?” After getting a nod from Logan he jogged up and down on the spot a few times, “Thanks again.” Remy then jogged off past Logan and through to the entrance to the park.<br/>

“Daddy!” Logan saw Patton barrelling towards him, Virgil right behind him.<br/>

“What’s up Pattiecake?” Logan reached down and picked up his toddler, wrapping his arms around the child’s middle.<br/>

“We made a friend who took us to meet a swamp monster near the lake!”<br/>

“Really? Who’s your new friend? Can you point them out for me?” Logan walked towards his ten-year-old, ruffling his hair with his spare hand.<br/>

“He’s over there!” The short boy pointed further down the path in the general direction of a few other children.<br/>

“Can you describe him for me?” Logan was unsure of which child Patton meant.<br/>

“...he was covered in trash.” Virgil piped up.<br/>
“What did you say Virgil?” Logan couldn’t have heard that right.<br/>

“He jumped out of a bin when we met him.” As Logan looked over the children, one stood out in particular. He was around 7 or 8 and covered head to toe in mud and had leaves sticking out of his hair. Next to him was seemingly his clone, who looked near to crying- Logan could relate, he didn’t like mess either. Same small child, same.<br/>

“Oh... okay.” Logan walked his children over to the set of twins and knelt down to their level. “Hello there, what’s your name?”<br/>

“...Remus?” It seemed more like a question.<br/>

“Hello Remus. I heard from Patton here that you three had a very good time meeting a swamp monster.”<br/>

“... yeah.”<br/>

“That’s where you were! Remus, I told you not to take random children to the pond! That’s our place! If we tell too many people about it, the dragon witch will get us!” The other twin seemed genuinely terrified at the prospect of this dragon witch. “I’m sorry if he got your children messy, Sir. He won’t do it again, will you?”<br/>

“Probably.”<br/>

“No, no it’s alright. I wasn’t here to tell you off. I just wanted to meet Pattie’s new friends.”<br/>

“Well...” the second twin looked around anxiously, “Uhh... we don’t want to be his friend!...Go away!” The twin stuck his tongue out, reaching for Remus’s hand and dragging him off in some direction, whisper shouting to him the entire way. In other circumstances, Logan would run after them to make sure they got back to their parents safely or to make sure they were okay but since Patton started crying, Logan stayed with his son.<br/>

Sitting down on a nearby bench, Logan put Patton in his lap and started shushing him, Virgil sitting beside him and putting his head on his dad’s shoulder.<br/>

“Pattie, it’s okay. I’m sure he didn’t mean it. Maybe he’s having a bad day, you have bad days too, don’t you?” The weeping toddler nodded with his thumb in his mouth. “And we don’t judge people on their worst days, do we?” The toddler shook his head. “Do you know what his name is?”<br/>

“Remus said he was hiding from his brother. I think he called him Roman, or something like that.” Virgil lifted his head up to say.<br/>

“Well, when we come to the park next time, we’ll look around for Remus and Roman and see if we can all start over, yeah?”<br/>

“...okay.” Patton took his hand out of his mouth, finally stopping his crying.<br/>

~~~<br/>

“Cookie, wake up.” Janus shook Patton awake at half 8 in the morning. He knew his child would want to be awake when ‘Uncle Remy’ arrived with his basically by now adopted younger brother. This was because last time they let Patton sleep past Remy leaving he cried until he came back... at ten pm that night. Then he got extremely ill because of the lack of fluids in his tiny body. So it was better to have a slightly cranky toddler for a few minutes than a distraught toddler who purposefully makes himself ill because of his need for social interaction.<br/>

“...sleep.” Patton drawled.<br/>

“I know, but Uncle Remy is coming over soon.”<br/>

“Uncle Remy?!” Patton shot out of bed to get changed and Janus has to chase him around the house to get him to put his glasses on so he doesn’t run into a wall. Which has happened by the way. Several times. Repeatedly. It was the reason the got him glasses.<br/>

When Janus had finally gotten Patton’s second sock on, the two heard the door bell downstairs causing Patton to throw himself down the stairs.<br/>

“REMMMMMMYYYYYYYYY!!!!” Was the only warning Remy got before he was clinging onto a little monkey of a child who was now climbing up to sit on his shoulders.<br/>

“Hey Pat.” Remy was extremely glad that Toby was in his stroller and not his arms because by now the baby would have been flattened. “I’m sorry buddy, but I can’t stay long.”<br/>

“Awwwww...”<br/>

“I know I know, but I have somewhere very important to be.” Remy really needed this job. He loved his partner very much but being a resident at the same hospital as Logan didn’t pay as well as everyone thought. On top of bills, student debt, their small apartment and a new baby -it’s fair to say they needed money. He was going for a manager role at the local coffee shop, which wasn’t much but it was the best he could do at the moment.<br/>

“...okay Uncle Remy...”<br/>

“Uncle Remy will be back in a few hours Cookie, and you’ll have Toby to play with until then.” Janus came up behind his son and pulled the stroller through the front door.<br/>

“Pat-tom.” Toby reaches out towards him and Remy swore he saw a lightbulb light up in each of his eyes.<br/>

“We’ll see you back here by...?”<br/>

“Four if all goes well.”<br/>

“Four it is. Remind me what Toby is allergic to again.” Janus jotted the time down and waited for Remy’s answer before writing that down too.<br/>

“Just nuts as far as I know.”<br/>

“That’s my walnut whip cake out of the window then.”<br/>

“Please, we both know you don’t cook.”<br/>

“Not if I can help it. I have a husband for that.” The two laughed.<br/>

“I need to be going. Thank you again for taking care of him.” Remy gestured back to his car and started walking back to it.<br/>

“Of course. I wish you luck with your interview.”  Janus said.<br/>

“Thanks, I’m gonna need it.” Remy said, ducking into his car and driving off.<br/>

“Now, shall we go and see if Virgil wants to go outside in the garden with us?” He was greeted by about a thousand agreements from Patton and clapping from Toby, which Janus knew meant he was in agreement with the idea as well.<br/>

“I’ll go and wake him up. Can I trust you to be a really big boy and put on your sunscreen by yourself?” Janus said, picking Toby up to take with him.<br/>

“Yes!” Patton was basically already running to the bathroom to find the sunscreen.<br/>

“Okay.”<br/>

“Do you want me to take them out so you can get started on your work?” Logan came from the hallway after nearly being trampled by his five-year-old torpedo.<br/>

“Thank you.” Janus leaned up to kiss his husband on the cheek before heading into his office.<br/>

“I’m going to take them to the park.”<br/>

“Okay. Make sure Patton has enough sunscreen!”<br/>

“You’re saying this to me?”<br/>

“Yeah yeah, how ironic the one with the burn going across half his face telling the doctor about basic skin care. See you later hun.”<br/>

Logan gathered his children and Toby together, ready to go to the park again. He was pretty sure Patton had completely forgotten the incident already but Logan wanted to make sure both twins were alright. Remus seemed pretty upset and Roman didn’t exactly give off the impression of someone who was doing okay.<br/>

~~~<br/>

Logan had been looking around the entire time they were at the park and had seen neither twin. This wasn’t very odd, not everyone went to the park everyday.<br/>

However, just as Logan was packing up he managed to glance up to see two very familiar young boys fighting a few metres away from where Virgil was playing with a few kids his age.<br/>

Logan made sure the two younger boys were okay as he wouldn’t be going too far and started walking over to the twins.<br/>

“Boys!” A woman around Logan’s age strutted over to the twins, “No fighting! Don’t make me come over there!” The boys immediately got off each other and ran over to the woman, who Logan assumed was their mother. She dressed very uptown style- a short dress with tights and a furry jacket which was somehow white without a speck of dust. Logan still hasn’t figured out how to keep white clothes clean. <br/>

“Excuse me, are you these boy’s mom?” Logan asked, suddenly feeling underdressed in jeans and a button up.<br/>

“Yes, who’s asking?”<br/>

“I’m sorry, it’s just my children were playing with Remus yesterday-”<br/>

“I’m sorry for whatever he did, the little brat doesn’t understand what is and is not acceptable yet.” What kind of a mother was she talking about her son like that?<br/>

“No that wasn’t what I-”<br/>

“Remus. Tell the man you’re sorry.” The twins mom flicked her wrist towards Logan.<br/>

“Sorry.” Remus barely let the words leave his mother’s mouth.<br/>

“No, it’s okay Remus, Patton and Virgil has a really good time playing with you.”<br/>

“I have a hard time believing that. When he got home he was covered in filth.”<br/>

“Well you have to let kids explore the world for themselves.”<br/>

“What are you, one of those vegan, anti-establishment parents?”<br/>

“Not at all, it’s just... never mind. I just wanted to tell Remus that he can play with my kids as much as he wants. Could we maybe trade numbers to organise a play date?” Logan looked down to Roman, who had been hiding behind his mother the entire conversation. He looked ready to run away from Logan at any given chance.<br/>

“I don’t think that will be necessary, the twins aren’t allowed around other people houses. Are those your children over there?” The woman pointed over to the blanket in which Patton and Toby sat on.<br/>

“Well, yes that’s Patton, my little boy and Toby, a friend’s child and over there is Virgil, my eldest.” Logan nodded over to the swings where Virgil was talking to a girl around his age.<br/>

“Hmm...” the woman looked Logan up and down,”Well I need to take these two home so we can... sort a few things out.” Logan didn’t miss how she almost spat on the words “these two” Without saying good bye, the woman spun around, not even checking to see if the twins were following her, which they were, and strutted off.<br/>
“It was nice meeting you too.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Janus meets the twins.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I can’t pick a tense apparently, don’t judge meeeeee</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“How did the interview go with Remy?” Logan had caught Emile in a lunch break so they sat together to talk, “I didn’t manage to catch him when he came to collect Toby, I was called in for an emergency.”<br/>

“We didn’t really get to talk much either, what with work and putting Toby to bed and me needing sleep. But from what he told me it seemed to go well. I think, at this point he deserves a bit of good karma.”<br/>

“Just my thoughts.” Remy had lost quite a lot in the last few years. Obviously there was some good thrown in there, Toby being the main thing. When Remy and Emile first adopted Toby Remy was in a stable job, his parents were a ready made, very willing set of baby sitters and between the two they had quite a lot of savings.<br/>

However, a few months after Toby was officially their child, Remy and Emile were hit with the devastating news that Remy’s parents had both died in a road accident. Obviously for anyone this would be terrible to hear, especially just as they got their first grandchild. So Remy got sent into a spiralling depression and then lost his job, which only worsened everything. Remy still swears that without Emile and Toby he wouldn’t be here. But luckily, he did have his child to look after and make him get out of bed.<br/>

“I need to get going.” Emile suddenly got up and left his tray near the bin. ‘Tis the life of a medical resident.<br/>

~~~<br/>

Being a lawyer, Janus was used to interacting with complete and utter morons. He was also incredibly good at lying. He was also very risk avert. This made Virgil both love and hate his dad’s profession.<br/>

He loved it because it meant he knew his dad would never do anything stupidly dangerous like his biological father.<br/>

But he also hated it because he could never know when his dad was lying to him. Well, almost never. Sometimes he swore his dad wasn’t even trying.<br/>

“But Virgil i cant possibly take you to the park today as I have miraculously broken both of my legs.”<br/>

“Come on! Nate and Ethan are gonna be there! You don’t even have to stay, Nate’s dad will look after me.”<br/>

“Ask your father.”<br/>

“You’re my father.”<br/>

“Your other father.”<br/>

“He’s at work.”<br/>

“...” Janus stared at his son.<br/>

“...” Virgil stared right back.<br/>

“Fine, go and get your brother.” Virgil races out of the room, running up the stairs to find the five-year-old. Janus knee he could withstand the pressure of being in a courtroom and could break anyone before they broke him, yet he broke like fine china under the pressure of his child.<br/>

Janus took his children to the park and sat on the grass with Patton as Virgil and his friends kicked a football around. As he threaded his fingers through the toddlers hair, Patton turned his head to follow two boys walking along the grass. Well for one of them ‘walking’ was a bit of a loose word to use, it was more like limping.<br/>

“Do you know them Patton?” Janus leaned down to whisper in his youngest’s ear. Patton nodded while fiddling with a daisy. “Who are they?”<br/>

“They’re Roman and Remus. They’re twins and Dad doesn’t like their mummy.”<br/>

“Which one is the one on the right?” (Aka The one limping)<br/>

“I don’t know, they’re twins.” Patton said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. But he was right, they were identical.<br/>

“Do you want to go and play with them?”<br/>

“No.”<br/>

“Why not?”<br/>

“I saw them at school and tapped Remus on the back and he tried to punch me.”<br/>

“Okay, you wait here for a little bit, okay Cookie?” Janus lifted Patton up and put him on the grass before brushing himself off and gesturing to Virgil to keep an eye on his brother. He then started striding towards the twins who were now sitting down, a lot more muted and depressed looking than most of the kids around them.<br/>

“Excuse me, young gentlemen. Would either of you like to enlighten me on why one of you tried to punch my five-year-old back there?” As soon as the words left his mouth both boys legged it. Janus was not going to be seen chasing two young boys down in a park so he let them and went back to his own child. He had probably scared them enough already.<br/>

A few minutes later Janus looked up to see a woman dragging both boys towards him by their ears.<br/>

“Roman.” The twin on her right side, the one who he saw limping earlier, looked up at the woman and sighed.<br/>

“We’re very sorry for running from you.”<br/>

“Remus.” The other twin flinched at her voice.<br/>

“And for nearly hurting your son.” He paused when his mother took her hand off of his ear. “But I only did it because-” He stopped when his mother hit him on the back of the head, hard. “...sorry.”<br/>

“I don’t believe that was necessary.” Janus said to the mother, “and anyway, I would like to know Remus’s reasoning.”<br/>

“Uhhh... well... Roman and I were... fighting a monster! And it pushed me into some nettles so my back really hurt and when Patton patted me on the back I thought the monster had returned for revenge!” His twin nodded aggressively when Remus was finished.<br/>

“I’m sorry, these two have an overactive imagination between them. What he means is Roman pushes him into a bush while they were playing the other day.”<br/>

“What? No I did-” Roman was stopped by another, equally hard smack to the head.<br/>

“Again, I don’t believe that is necessary.”<br/>

“I can do with my children as I please. I’m not taking any advice from a babysitter.”<br/>

“Babysitter?”<br/>

“Yes. I saw these children with their father the other day, dreadful man, so they’re not your children.”<br/>

“That ‘dreadful man’ is my husband. These are my children.”<br/>

“You really believe that? Roman dear tell the man what I told you when you asked if you could go to your school dance with Tom.”<br/>

Roman looked up at Janus and began reciting what his mother had told him.<br/>

“It’s not right for a boy to be intimate with another boy because it’s not right and if I see you anywhere near Tom again I will-” Roman was stopped by an overly manicured hand over his face in a position which Janus thought would make it bard to breathe.<br/>

“I’ll have you know I am a lawyer and if you or your spawn ever go anywhere near my children again I will be personally responsible for you seeing my husband at his work place.”<br/>

Janus then grabbed Patton and pulled him up onto his hip and stalked away, saying goodbye to Virgil as he was going for Nate’s house for dinner anyway.<br/>

“Patton.” Janus set his child down at the kitchen table with a juice box and sat across from him. “If either of those two boys try to come near you ever again, I need you to tell me, okay?” Patron nodded his head, much more interested in the juice.<br/>

~~~<br/>

After Roman’s little miss-step when relaying his mother’s words, he knew he was going to be in big trouble when they got home. They lived in what seemed to be a nice suburb semi-detached home but inside we’re where the problems started.<br/>

First of all, as you stepped in there was what can only be described as a gush of nausea inducing smell, immediately recognisable as alcohol. The twins father was passed out on the sofa, smashed beer bottles or as Remus had said “nettles” all over the floor around him and Roman was sure he could still see the blood on some of the shards.<br/>

There was also the belt hung on the door to the living room, which most people would think was a strange place to keep it. Roman ran up to his room and shut the door, knowing it didn’t lock but doing it just incase it deterred his mother. It didn’t.<br/>

His mother poked her head around the twins bedroom door, belt in hand as Roman shivered on the bed.<br/>

By the look on her face, Roman knew he wasn’t going to be walking tomorrow, which meant no food or bathroom. Unless Remus was let off and allowed to cook something for him. Which he doubted.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Patton wasn’t often the one who disobeyed his dads.<br/>

Virgil did rarely but that was back when Patton was first adopted and he had since calmed down a lot.<br/>

But Patton was a very empathetic child, Logan swore that he was an actual empath. So when he saw the twins on the playground the next day looking very sad he had to go over and play with them so they wouldn’t be sad anymore.<br/>

Virgil, being the anxious older brother that he is, watched from the older kids playground to make sure that the two didn’t hurt his younger brother. He couldn’t hear what they were saying but he didn’t need to as, after a few minutes they started playing together, running around the playground as if on a very important quest. He could hear Roman shouting something about monsters and dragon witches- seriously what was this kids deal with dragon witches? Eventually the younger children tired out and went over to the monkey bars to sit down.<br/>

Virgil got extremely worried when Remus started climbing to the top of them, sitting on one of the bars. While still talking, the twin in green flipped himself upside down, top hanging around his shoulders. With a start, Virgil saw not pale, slightly muddy skin that Remus had on his face and hands, but dark bruises and cuts running down his back.<br/>

This made Virgil feel sick. Especially when Remus noticed and pulled himself up, tucking his shirt into his jeans. The motion of Remus being in such a rush to right himself quickly caused him to become off balance. Virgil noticed this and vaulted himself over the fence between the two playgrounds, skidding on his knees to be under the monkey bars when Remus fell into his arms. For once in his life, Virgil was happy he was so anxious.<br/>

A teacher rushed over and asked if Remus was okay - well actually she asked if Roman was okay because identical twins but hey- to which both twins hurried to assure her that Remus didn’t need to go to the nurses office. Both brothers looked really shaken and Virgil thought about telling the teacher about what he had seen but she walked away after telling Remus to be more careful.<br/>

~~~<br/>

As Virgil got into his Dad’s car he saw Roman and Remus running out of school and down the road, not to a car. Virgil assured himself that they probably just live close to the school and don’t need a ride home, he shouldn’t worry. It’s just his anxiety playing up. The cuts and bruises probably weren’t as bad as he thought they were and Remus did say he was pushed into some nettles so it was just that. Right?<br/>

Patton didn’t look much better, which was odd for the usually happy five-year-old. Normally he would be chatting up a storm about what had happened at school that day but now he was silent for the entire car ride home. Virgil wondered if he should tell his dad. He was a doctor, he would know if the bruises were normal or not. But last night he had been sat down by both of his dads and told not to talk to either of the twins... would he get in trouble?<br/>

Virgil didn’t want to get in trouble. He knew his dads wouldn’t hurt him, even when he did something bad they would just talk to him and tell him what to do next time. But that little bit of doubt in the back of his mind bit his tongue for him.<br/>

~~~<br/>

The next day came and Patton immediately ran up to the twins as soon as lunch started.<br/>

Virgil watched just like he did the day before, paying more attention to the twins over Patton this time. But they didn’t run around and play like they had yesterday. They sat in a circle, quietly eating and talking. After lunch was up, Patton hugged each twin and ran back inside. Again silence on the way home.<br/>

The day after that and Patton woke up ill, meaning Virgil went to school alone but still stuck his head over the fence to check on the brothers. They seemed fine so he went back to play with his group of friends.<br/>

A couple minutes later Virgil found himself back near the fence, peering over it again to find both twins sitting on one of the benches leaning on each other, asleep. He watched as Roman’s head fell onto Remus’s leg causing him to wince, waking both boys up. They blearily looked around, rubbing their eyes and shaking their heads before going back to the same position- seemingly desperate to get just a bit more sleep. Virgil noticed that they didn’t have any lunches with them that day.<br/>

School ends. Silent car ride. Home again.<br/>

~~~<br/>

Janus was becoming increasingly worried. Virgil has always been a quiet child but now he was mostly silent. Patton was chatty and smily but was now just as subdued as his older brother. What had happened? Had the twins been bullying them?<br/>

One night after his husband had gone to bed, Janus sat in the living room on his laptop, trying to distract himself from these thoughts when he heard tiny little steps coming down the stairs.<br/>

He looked up to see his youngest son holding onto the bottom of the handrail, descending the steps one at a time before shuffling over to him, teddy bear in hand.<br/>

“What are you doing up so late, Cookie?”  Janus reached down, picking his son up and placing him on his lap.<br/>

“Couldn’t sleep.” Patton muttered into his bear.<br/>

“Did you have a bad dream?” Janus hugged his boy closer to him, running his finger through the blonde hair that he would say he had inherited from himself if he weren’t adopted.<br/>

Patton shook his head.<br/>

“Do you want to tell me why?” Janus asked.<br/>

“You’re a lawyer.” Patron mumbled.<br/>

“Yes I am.”<br/>

“You know how to keep secrets.”<br/>

“Of course.”<br/>

“Well... what if someone told you a secret... but you really want to tell somebody.” Patton looked very guiltily up at his father.<br/>

“Well it depends, is this secret hurting somebody?”<br/>

Patton nodded.<br/>

“Do you trust the person you want to tell?”<br/>

Patton nodded.<br/>

“Do you want to tell me?”<br/>

Patton nodded, tearing threatening to spill.<br/>

“You can tell me Cookie, and if you really don’t want me to tell anyone else then I won’t.” Janus turned his child to face him.<br/>

“Well... I talked to Remus and Roman. A-and I know you said not to but they were really s-sad so I had to. Then we played together a-a-and we were fighting an evil dragon witch... but then Roman started saying really scary things and he said the word a-alcohol a-a-and drugs and I know that you said they were bad things that my mummy did. Then Remus nearly hurt himself really badly but Virgil stopped it but even though he did get hurt I saw he was in a lot of pain. Then I asked them about it the next day a-and they said it was a secret and that I shouldn’t tell you...” Patton burst out crying. Janus couldn’t believe his ears, quickly picked his crying toddler up and placed him back on the sofa with his teddy and a blanket before forcing up the stairs into his bedroom, shaking his husband awake.<br/>

“...what is it babe?”<br/>

“Patton just told me something very... alarming and I think you should hear it as well.”<br/>

“What did he say?”<br/>

“It was about the twins, Roman and Remus from the park?”<br/>

“Did they hurt him?”<br/>

“No... you’ll just have to hear it for yourself.” Janus dragged Logan downstairs and both parents sat either side of their child who had mostly stopped crying, although Janus had a suspicion he would be crying again soon. He then got his youngest to repeat what he had said to him and watched as the colour drained from his husbands face.<br/>

AfterPatton has finished, Logan spoke up, “They go to his school right? We have to say something. Or at least talk to the twins.”<br/>

“I agree, I knew there was something off about them- I should have seen it. I’m a lawyer for god’s sake!” Janus buried his face in his hands, rubbing around his eye sockets (which you shouldn’t be doing right now, keep those hands away from your face!).<br/>

“You’ll wake Virgil, and don’t beat yourself up over it. You know better than anyone that people don’t go around flaunting things like this.” Logan picked Patton up and walked him back up to bed before coming back down and wrapping his arm around his husband, who had not moved from his position.<br/>

“We can’t do anything right now, we will see them tomorrow at school and get verification, okay?”<br/>

Janus mumbles something along the lines of agreement before falling asleep against Logan who let him despite his doctor brain telling him not to.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Morning came all to quickly, and not quick enough at the same time. Janus and Logan both felt numb as they drove the familiar path to school, Logan having called into work as soon as he woke up to make sure they knew he wasn’t coming in, although Logan had a terrifying voice in his head that said he’d be working anyway.<br/>

“You two go in, your father and I are just going to be talking to your teacher, okay?” Virgil nodded, leading his younger brother into the building, waving to their parents as they went.<br/>

Janus took his husband’s hand and walked to where he knew the twin’s class lined up outside the school, waiting there until the class went in. The worrying thing was, neither twin showed face.<br/>

Logan knew his partner was extremely worried when he started pacing around the playground, hesitating to sound the alarm just incase the boys were late.<br/>

When it got to the ten minute mark, the doubts set in and Janus dragged his husband to the reception.<br/>

“Excuse me, my husband and I noticed that Roman and Remus, the twins from year three didn’t show up today. Our boys are good friends with them and we would like to know whether there was any reason for that.” Janus asked politely to the woman sitting at the desk.<br/>

“I’m sorry, we haven’t gotten any call from their parents yet. They both looked quite ill the other day, perhaps it’s that flu going around?”<br/>

“Umm... aright I’ll just come out and say it. Our youngest said something very disturbing and we have reason to believe that the twins are being abused at home. Could we maybe get an address so we can check up on them and make sure they’re okay?”<br/>

“I’m sorry Mr Sanders but we aren’t able to do that. It’s confidential information. Although I can call child protective services for you if you have any reason to believe they are in danger.” The woman held her hand on the phone on her desk, clearly ready to jump into action.<br/>

And jump into action Janus did, “Logan, I’ll call them, you go and try to find the twins.” He said, gesturing for the girl behind the desk to start making the call. Logan, not questioning his husband, ran out of the door and down the road. He vaguely remembered seeing the twins running in a direction after school and followed the path he assumed they took. He looked around for anything that might give away who occupied the houses.<br/>

He kept running down streets until his lungs hurt, eyeing every house. They couldn’t be this far away from school, right? Otherwise they’d have to get a lift home...<br/>

he must have gone past it....<br/>

he had to have gone past it...<br/>

he hadn’t gone past it.</p><p>One last street, Logan thought. Looking back on it he could allow himself for just a second to believe in God.<br/>

The next street along was just the same as any other of the streets. Nice houses with neat front gardens. However on one of the rows of perfect, white picket fences was a small spatter of imperfection. Blood. Logan had a horrible gut feeing that he knew who it belonged to.<br/>

The doctor ran up to the house and leapt over the fence, racing to bang on the door. When he got no response he paced back, readying himself. With a sudden movement, Logan threw himself at the door, cracking it enough to jam it open. Searching the unfamiliar floor plan, Logan frantically explored the house. He was unsure if he was going to find the parents, the children, neither, both? Nothing down stairs.<br/>

Two at a time, Logan bounded up the stairs, finding a red shirt next to a similar one but in green on the landing, confirming he had the right house. Opening door after door, Logan only just took in how much the place stunk of alcohol, given that there were two bottles in the master bedroom, he could guess at where it came from. One last bedroom, most likely the brothers’ room. But they weren’t in there either.<br/>

Logan looked over the house twice again just incase he had missed something, but these only gave up the same answers as his first search.<br/>

The doctor ran back outside, ready to go searching some more. Find wherever the parents were when he did a double take at the house one last time.<br/>

The attic.<br/>

Logan ran back inside, only barely realising he had drawn a crowd of very confused neighbours, up the stairs. He jumped for the small opening that would lead to the attic and pulled it down as hard as he could, only wincing slightly when the ladder fell on his arm. The doctor scurried up the ladder and braces himself for whatever greeted him.<br/>
Luckily the parents weren’t there. That was the only good thing.<br/>

In the corner were two limp figures, tiny in comparison to the massive room. They didn’t move when Logan burst into the attic, nor when cries out in shock of seeing them.</p><p>Remus was closest to him. Black and blue all over. He didn’t have his shirt on but thankfully everything else had stayed with him. Most of his hair was caked in blood, so much that Logan didn’t know where it was coming from, his little form was breathing slightly even if it was stuttered and shallow. The dark purples around his eyes gave away that this was the only type of ‘sleep’ they get.</p><p>Roman was a bit further away. From here he looked smaller than Patton and the thought of his child in this situation made Logan feel sick. Roman shirt had remained on but was pulled up enough to show his ribs and hip bones sticking out along with a very fresh wound along his torso. His hair covered his face but even so Logan could see the darkness under his eyes that clung to the rubbed off makeup over his face. </p><p>Logan stood rigid. Stuck between helping the boys and going to find their parents to shove their own medicine down their throats but his choice was quickly made up for him: </p><p>Roman wasn’t breathing.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Logan scrambled for his phone, distressing when he couldn’t find it on him. The doctor screamed as loud as he physically could, hoping that the walls were thin enough for one of the neighbours to here him. Not waiting another moment, Logan ran to the boys side, turning him so that he was flat on his back before checking Roman’s pulse. After a few seconds without a beat, Logan started chest compressions, a third of the way into his chest to the beat of Stayin’ Alive. 

Logan glanced up to see an increasingly worried audience and Logan shouted at one of them to call an ambulance. After a few solid minutes of chest compressions, Logan felt the pain from the ladder crashing into his arm well up and searched in the crowd for anyone who knew and basic first aid. A man rushed forward and knelt on the other side of the still not breathing boy, taking over from Logan as soon as the man stopped. </p><p>After what seemed like hours, although it was only  few minutes, Roman’s twin woke up to the commotion, somehow paling further at the sight of his brother on the floor. “Get away from him!” He shouted, trying to pry the much older man away from his twin, “You’re hurting him!” He screamed.<br/>

Logan pulled the still very injured boy over to the crowd, one of the women, who Logan thinks he saw come out of the house next door, took him down stairs to calm him down and explain what was going on. Logan stayed with the unconscious twin as he heard the ambulance stop outside the house. </p><p>The man who had been shouted at to make the call lead them up the stairs, the crowds parted like the Red Sea to let them past. Within seconds they had whisked the young boy away with his twin and were headed back down the road. </p><p>Police showed up and escorted everyone out of the house and talked to Logan as the first person to find them. He told them the entire story, back to when he first met the red headed boys before being silently led back to the school.</p><p>By this point the school day was over and Logan saw his two boys run up to him, their father trailing behind them and Logan crashed into them. He held them tight and sobbed the tears that had been threatening to spill for the last few hours. </p><p>Janus drove his family home, Logan sitting in the back seat so that he could stay close to his children during the ride. From what Logan has cried and mumbled he had put the pieces together of what happened. Janus grilled the steering wheel just that extra bit tighter when he heard his husband take another sudden intake of breath. </p><p>Eventually they arrived back home and both children seemed to realise that their dads needed to be alone for a little while, so Virgil took his younger brother outside to play in the back garden.<br/>

Logan fell into the sofa, his husband sitting beside him and letting him rest his head on his shoulder. They sat like that for half an hour, mindless television absentmindedly playing in the background. Janus then put his arm around his husband who winced in pain as his joint became tender and sore.<br/>

“What happened?”<br/>

“A ladder fell on it.”<br/>

“That’s not what I meant but we should get you to A and E.”<br/>

“I just want to stay here.”<br/>

Janus almost gave to his husband, “No we’re going to the hospital, you of all people should know that you should be at the hospital.” Janus got up and rang Remy, knowing he had an off day today and could babysit the kids. About fifteen minutes later and Remy strolled through the door, baby in arm, completely unaware of why he was babysitting. </p><p>“Jesus Christ how did you do that?!” Remy stared at the most definitely broken arm.<br/>

“A ladder fell on it.” Logan said in the same flat tone he had the first time.<br/>

“...okay. Well call when you think you will be getting home, or don’t. I’d be fine with babysitting for there two for the rest of time.”<br/>

“Thanks again Remy.” Janus escorted his husband out of the door.<br/>

“No problem! Bye!” Remy raced to the garden to see his two adopted nephews. He was surprised to find that they were not playing but instead just talking. “Hey Vee-Vee, Patton-Cake. What’s got you so down in the dumps?” Remy sat down next to them, Toby still balancing on his hip.<br/>

“Two of our friends were being hurt by their mummy and daddy and one of them is probably dead by now and Dad broke his arm trying to save them.” Virgil said.<br/>
“Oh... okay...” how do you respond to that?!</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Btw, in my head the guy who help Logan with the chest compressions is Thomas... had to get him in there somewhere! Might bring him back... might not. Well just see how I’m feelin’ when I make the next few.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>I know it’s been so long! If I’m being honest, I’ve been pulled in so many different directions creatively recently- I completely forgot about this story until I got a notification of all of your sweet comments xx<br/>I just want to say thank you and hopefully this story will be finished soon.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Uncle Remy?” Big eyes, rimmed by frames and tears peeked out from behind the entrance to the kitchen.</p><p>Remy sat with Toby at the breakfast counter, slightly bouncing his son after having gotten off of a particularly taxing call from Janus. He explained everything- but that didn’t mean that Remy understood. Looking down at his own child he could never imagine even raising his voice at him. Never mind...that.</p><p>“Uncle Remy?” The toddler repeated, making a grabby hand at him, holding a stuffed bunny in the other. His older brother also poked his head into the room, Remy might have laughed in any other situation, “When are Daddies coming home?”</p><p>It had been a long night for everyone in the house. Patton didn’t sleep a wink, Virgil only did from sheer exhaustion. Remy could only thank whatever God was finally looking over him that his new boss was incredibly understanding and let him off for another day before he had to start as manager.</p><p>“They should be back today, Pat. Just a few more hours with Uncle Remy.” The five year old ran over and tucked himself into Remy’s side, quickly followed by his brother. </p><p>“What gonna happen to Roman and Remus?” Remy didn’t expect the question from Virgil, but he knew the boy was old enough to understand what was happening on a deeper level than Patton. Maybe even more than Remy after what he had been through himself.</p><p>“Well, if I’m being honest Vee, we don’t really know.” Remy ran his hands through the thick hair Virgil had on his head, “Best case scenario- maybe they’ll be like you. They’ll get better and go and live with people like your dads. They’ll be really happy like you are.”</p><p>“Will they get ice cream?” Patton propped his head up on Remy’s knee.</p><p>“All the ice cream they could ever want.” Remy smiled down at the boy.</p><p>“What about worst case?” Virgil mumbled, barely audible as he said it into Remy’s shirt, “What bad things could happen to them?” </p><p>“That isn’t something for you to be worrying about Vee.” Remy manages to coax the boy to stand back a bit so he could see his face in its entirety.  </p><p>“Have you met me?” Remy saw the smallest glint of a smile in this dire situation and it made his heart soar. It looked like a thousand diamonds in the darkest cave. </p><p>“Well, you trust your Dad, right?” Remy saw the boy nod adamantly, “Well he’s promised to be the one fighting your friends’ case when things all get legal and boring. And we all know that your Dad is one of the most stubborn people on this planet. So if there’s even a chance those boys will get a fairytale ending, he’s going to fight for it.” </p><p>A small piercing silence followed as Virgil gathered his thoughts, “He won’t let them have a bad ending.” </p><p>“Exactly. You know what, hop up here for a sec.” Remy said, patting the counter for the boys to hop onto, hoisting Patton up- much to the jubilation of Toby as he had free reign of playing with Patton’s hands from this angle. </p><p>Making sure the boys were settled, Remy adjusted his own child to make him more comfortable before looking each boy in the eye.</p><p>“You two are some of the most bravest boys I’ve ever met. I know you were both very frightened by what your friends told you, and anxious about telling your dads. But you did because you knew it was the right thing to do. And now, because of you, both of you,” Remy made sure to make eye contact with Virgil for that- knowing that he had been the one to sway Patton into telling their dads in the first place, even if he wouldn’t admit it, “those boys have the best chance they could possibly have at having their happy ending, okay?”</p><p>“Okay Uncle Remy.” Patton babbled.</p><p>“Vee?” Remy said, tilting his head towards the eldest boy. </p><p>“Thank you Remy.” </p><p>—————</p><p>It was only at ten o’clock-the morning after the boys were found that either of the sorry excuses for parents showed back up at their front door. </p><p>They protested against the police officers there to arrest them, arguing that they haven’t got children, going blue in the face from sheer stupidity before letting themselves be taken in. They seemed appalled by the roughness of the police personnel locking their hands together, the officers could only laugh. </p><p>“You ought to thank God that the bloke who found the boys isn’t here mate.” A crisp British accent from one barked through.  </p><p>“Yeah he would’ve ripped you limb from limb.” Followed their colleague, equally as amused. This was their favourite part of the job, putting disgusting human beings into their place.  </p><p>“I wouldn’t mess with ‘im. He were about six foot of twig but that fire in his eyes made me think he were gonna blow his glasses right off.” </p><p>“Bastard.” The woman being dragged along muttered underneath her breath. </p><p>“What was that love?” The Brit asked. </p><p>“I bet that b!tch couldn’t wait to pull us up on something like this.” </p><p>The woman kept blabbering and muttering her way all the way into the back of the police car, her husband staying quiet. The officers couldn’t tell if he was being smart or if he was just trying to stop the world from spinning from the amount of alcohol in his system. </p><p>After the door was locked, Officer Stokes leaned over to their radio to inform the station that they had the parents, if they could even be called that, under control.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Okay I just went through and made the story a bit better in terms of spacing. So you know... it’s actually readable.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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